1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of prosthetics and, more specifically, to a knock-down type prosthesis liner dryer.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Many people who have missing or partially missing limbs rely upon prosthetic devices. When a person is fitted for a limb prosthesis, a limb liner is typically placed over the end of the limb or the limb stump. The liner conforms to the shape of the limb stump and creates a strong frictional attachment to the skin of the wearer. In many cases, a metal locking pin extends from the tip of the limb liner and is used for attaching a prosthetic limb. Current liners are typically made with silicon or other elastomeric material. Because elastomeric liners are relatively impermeable, the skin of a wearer tends to be constantly moist within the liner. This condition creates the right environment for undesirable bacterial growth, making the wearer's skin susceptible to bacterial infection. Thus it is important for prosthesis liners to be thoroughly washed and dried each day. Even putting on a clean but wet prosthesis liner can aggravate a wearer's skin and encourage conditions for bacterial growth. It is therefore important that a wearer thoroughly dry a prosthesis liner before use.
It is common to find drying devices for circulating hot air through clothing articles, such as footwear or the like, to facilitate drying of the articles. However, such devices cannot be used for elastomeric prosthesis liners, as the liners are sensitive to high temperatures and may be damaged. In particular, prosthesis liners are specific in size to the wearer such that high temperature heated drying would cause the liner to shrink, thereby rendering the liner unusable. For this reason, prosthesis liners are simply allowed to air dry, a process which is extremely time consuming. Based thereon, there exists a need in the art for a drying device for prosthesis liners that can speed up the drying time of the liners without exposing them to damaging conditions.